Adaptive Charger Voltage Regulation to Prevent Battery Cycling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Battery chargers often cycle between charging and discharging fully charged batteries, reducing battery capacity and causing acoustic noise due to repeated power application, which is undesirable.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor device with a charger controller and power stage that sets regulation voltage to a maximum threshold until batteries are fully charged, then reduces it to a minimum threshold to prevent float charging and minimize noise, using a buck-boost power stage and pulse width modulator control to manage power flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the charger continues to charge fully charged batteries to maintain power availability, then the battery capacity is reduced and lifetime is shortened, but the power availability is maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The charger controller monitors battery voltage and current in real-time to detect when batteries are fully charged. Based on this feedback, the controller dynamically adjusts the charging state, transitioning from active charging to a maintained charged state, thereby preventing overcharging and extending battery lifetime while ensuring power availability is maintained.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the charging state based on battery status. When batteries are fully charged, the controller transitions from a charging mode to a maintained charged state, allowing the batteries to remain available for power supply without continuous charging current, thus preserving battery capacity and extending lifetime.
2Device complexity
If the charger cycles power application to manage battery charging, then battery capacity is reduced, but the charging control is simplified
Solution Approach 1:
The charger controller uses real-time monitoring of battery voltage and current to detect full charge conditions. This feedback mechanism enables the controller to stop charging at the appropriate moment without requiring complex cycling algorithms, thus preserving battery capacity while maintaining relatively simple control logic.
3Power
If the charger activates supplemental mode with timer, then power demand is satisfied, but acoustic noise is generated from repeated power application
Solution Approach 1:
The charger controller continuously monitors battery status and load conditions to determine when supplemental power is actually needed. By using feedback from battery voltage and current measurements, the controller can activate supplemental mode only when necessary, avoiding unnecessary power cycling that generates acoustic noise from capacitors and inductors.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution prevents unnecessary battery cycling and reduces acoustic noise by maintaining batteries at a lower charge state when fully charged, thereby extending battery life and reducing unwanted noise.
Implementation Method 1
the charger is working as a power converter to provide power from the power adapter to the load
Implementation Method 2
using a buck-boost power stage and pulse width modulator control to manage power flow
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for adaptive voltage regulation are described. According to an example, a method for operating a charger may include setting, by a charger controller of the charger, a maximum regulation voltage threshold and a minimum regulation voltage threshold, the minimum regulation voltage threshold being a predetermined percentage of the maximum regulation voltage threshold, the predetermined percentage ranging from between about 90% and about 98%; setting, by the charger controller, a charger regulation voltage to the maximum regulation voltage threshold; determining, by a battery monitor, a state of charge of a battery module; and operating the charger at the maximum regulation voltage threshold until the battery module is maximally charged.